Held Hand
by Dapplemii
Summary: A very sad fic about the death of Neku's mother to cancer and his choices regarding her fate, with the help of Joshua. Very slight JoshXNeku.
1. He Held Her Hand

He held her hand, and the other watched from around the corner.

He was down on his knees looking up at his mother's eyes in the bed. Her once beautiful, bright eyes, we're now a much duller, drier color. Her slight glance felt like a stare that went right through him. He was not a crier that is unless the situation was worse than anything he could ever expect. The other, through all of his daily watching, saw him cry, only once. He cried when he was left with a terrible decision, one he simply could not fulfill. When they stood across from each other with guns pointed at each other's faces. That one instance had broken him and he could cry no more.

He did get angry though. He would go on little rampages out of nowhere, in the middle of the scramble. He would be walking along when suddenly he would just snap. He would scream and curse at nothing in particular. He'd punch the air and not care if anyone could hear his angry cries.

The other was careful to ensure when this happened, no one else could move or see him for the moment. Once he had calmed down enough, after kicking a trash can, or punching a wall, time around him would light up again, and he could walk off as if nothing had happened. He was probably aware of the invisible support, but he never gave it one thought.

Neku's mother had cancer.  
At first it had been manageable. It was caught and diagnosed in its beginning stage, which allowed for easy treatment. For the most part nothing changed in their lives. She had to take medication every morning and go in for checks regularly, but everything stayed pretty calm for a while. It was the pain that got to her though, and was actually the reason she went to the hospital for a PET scan in the first place. When the region where she had felt pain lit up, it was final. Faces around the room were flushed in despair. Neku's father ran right to his wife's side, and they silently cried together. The doctor went to them to describe the necessary action that needed to be done by the family, and what she needed to do to live on for as long as possible. He told them that many people live with this sickness and are perfectly fine on a daily basis. They hung onto his words of hope so tightly.

Neku left the room. The doctor had forgotten to mention that all cancer eventually spreads. It was already close enough to her heart. He didn't want to hear the number meaning how long it was estimated that she had left. If he had really wanted to know he had a much more reliable source.


	2. Neku Held Her Hand

Neku held her hand, and Joshua watched from his own distance.

Neku examined his mother's face. Her once beautiful skin became drowsy and sunken. Her rich orange locks which went down just past her shoulders, were now gone replaced with the sight of her pale scalp.

Neku used to be a crier. After the death of his best friend several years ago, he became cold towards everyone. Constantly he reminded himself of the terrible pain he felt when he had gotten attached to someone, only for Neku to kill him in the end. Neku cried out that guilt for a long time. It weighed him down until he could cry no more.

Joshua had done this before. That night it stormed and rained bad over Shibuya, so much that the sewer system would surely be flooded. It was cold and windy down in the tunnels, definitely not any place he would want to sleep. The Composer's personal chambers were located behind the throne room, and while he had fixed them up nicely to his liking, they were still as cold and damp as the rest of the place.

So instead he went to Neku's house. He had a nice heated bedroom with a large bed and comfy pillows. Joshua memorized Neku's sleep schedule and as such could sneak/teleport into his room and crawl right into his King size bed. He had no idea why Neku had such a large bed when it was just him sleeping there. Neku also didn't move around very much while asleep. Joshua normally just shrugged it off and climbed in under the sheets. Always careful not to disturb the sleeping teen next to him.

Tonight was no different. Before getting into bed he was sure to shrink down to his normal RG body to give Neku enough room, and just in case he were to wake up. He'd make his hardest attempt to avoid that though, this wasn't his own room after all. That body was less comfortable than how he normally slept, in his not so material form with his wings lazily sprawled out across the bed. Yes this child's body was a bit cramped.

 _"Oh well"_ he shrugged It off. This was better than the alternative of sleeping in the wet underground.

"Hmm?" Joshua made a questioning noise through his throat as he turned to look at the large bed Neku was sprawled out on.

"Oh Neku," he sighed with a lazy smile. The boy was laying right smack in the middle of the bed. Joshua's hands landed on his hips, then up in the air.

"Just what am I going to do with you?" He smiled and somehow got under the covers with not much space. He wanted to just shove the boy out of the way to have the bed all to himself, but there would be no way to do that without waking him.

 _"Ah well,"_ he just hoped that at some point Neku would give him some space.

Joshua was a light sleeper, with such a demanding role to play, he had to be.  
So, sometime hours later Joshua, who had fallen asleep easily hours before, awoke to the sound of soft crying. He opened his eyes slowly, half-way, and turned over in bed towards the sounds which woke him.  
Neku was all the way on the other side of the bed, curled up into a little ball with blankets pulled over him.

"Ngh, Nek-u?" he moaned sleepily. He usually did all he could to keep Neku asleep, but he was clearly already up.  
"Crap," he thought hazily, "Neku's probably realized I'm here."  
Joshua rubbed his eyes preparing to explain some crazy excuse for why he was in this bed.  
"Neku I... Hmm?" Joshua stopped when he noticed the ball in the bed shivering. He was only half awake, but Joshua's sharp senses immediately told him something was wrong here. His normal instincts towards something wrong is to begin erasing on sight. He held back this response to move over, closer to the boy. The blanket covered his entire body and face, he was hiding, whether he had realized Joshua was in the bed or not.

"Hey Neku, what's wrong?" He asked concerned. With no answer he moved closer to him, and put a hand on what he assumed was Neku's shoulder. Neku shrunk even smaller under the sheets when he felt Joshua's hand. Noticing the minor movement, Joshua gave a small smile with concerned, drooped eyes.

"Neku, come on now, I know you're not much of a crier," He wiggled his grip on Neku's shoulder, "Neku!" He stayed at a constant volume but added a bit more force into his voice. Instead of answering the call Neku just jerked his shoulder out of Josh's grip, and buried his face deeper into the pillow with soft murmurs escaping his mouth.

Josh brushed his cheek up against Neku's spiky hair with the same sneer he always wore. It quickly turned into the caring smile he had learned to wear in certain situations. Situations that required him to at least seem genuinely endearing. The more he forced his lips to curve into that smile, the more it actually felt like he cared, at least he did care about his one and only friend. He pulled the blankets off so that he could see all of the poor boy.

"Hey, Neku, please? Please talk to me, I just, I can be," He stuttered here, the words barely making it past his mouth with some effort. He tried as hard as possible to be friendly, it suddenly became surprisingly easy.

"I can listen, I can be here for you if you'll let me," He spoke with a straight face and moved from holding himself up down onto the bed right up against Neku. "Please let me by your trusted friend."

At this, the soft sniffling subsided as Neku pushed himself up. He held the pose silently for a few seconds before crashing into Joshua's chest and sobbed. His hands became fists against Josh's chest as he curled up against him. "Hmhmhm," Joshua could only give a tiny chuckle as he wrapped his arms around the boy's back.

Neku's face was buried in Josh's chest but he could feel the heat coming from it and the hot tears streaming down, soaking his bed shirt. One hand moved up to gently stroke Neku's hair. Loud sobs escaped his mouth but were muffled by Josh's chest absorbing the sound.

"It's alright Neku, let it out, everything's gonna be okay, everything's fine. I promise."

Eventually Neku's cries stopped and his breathing evened out there in Joshua's arms. He continued to stroke Neku's head even after it was clear he was asleep. It was comforting to both of them.


	3. Flashback

The composer strolled across the streets of his town. It was nice to take a calm stroll out of the dark basement in between his busy schedule and get a glimpse of what his work actually accomplished. Walking through the crowd Joshua tossed a player pin from his hand and watched it flip up and fall back into his hand. As he caught the pin, he paused his feet and opened his mind to the roaring voices of the minds around him.

It was rare for him to get out like this not because he did not have time to run the streets it was more that he didn't much care about their individual lives. Neku had suggested that he go out and try listening to the peoples voices every once in a while he said "It would probably help him run the Game or something," In a way, that was true. The better he knew his people, the better he would be able to judge them and more importantly the better he could make their lives, his ultimate goal.

On that particular day though, he was on a separate mission. He was tailing Neku, who seemed to be going nowhere in particular. Joshua had been walking at his own leisure when he saw a the view of a purple hooded boy swimming aggressively against the the mass. He obviously knew it was Neku, but he had no idea what Neku was so worried about to be in such a rush.

Joshua quickened his walking pace which then became a run to follow the boy. His body phased through the inhabitants of the RG as he ran, keeping his mind sharply focused on Neku. The boy was extremely skilled at losing himself in the masses. However, the Composer was equally masterful at finding the people he wanted to find.

He flipped up the player pin in his hand, and as it fell back into his palm, his awesome senses came to life. He pinpointed his mind on the boy.

"Let me in Neku," It was more of a command then a request. He concentrated for a few seconds, looking for a way into his wall-surrounded mind.  
"Hmm, Uh What?!" He gasped in surprise. His mind was blank, unreadable.

Joshua stopped short, watching in awe as Neku got away.

~~~

In his child body, Joshua moved swiftly through the UG, across the scramble, and into the great shadow of Shibuya's largest mall. He could feel that there was something, off in Neku's mind, and he was determined to find out what was wrong, and more importantly, what he could do about it. As he walked through the sliding doors of the building, the decal on the walls around him forced his vide to the frequency of the Realground. He was already in his young form so it didn't bother him much. In any case, he was focused, once again on finding someone. He had no time to be paying attention to the switch.

"Shiki?" The young, black haired girl, with a green jacket and round glasses jumped at the sudden call of her name. She flinched and turned to the voice. When she saw who had called to her she became defensive and drew back.

"Oh, hi...Joshua..." She began cautiously.

~~~  
"Oh, so you didn't hear then? I though you of all people would know." They sat in the back room of the store where Eri designed and Shiki sewed, where they could talk uninterrupted. Joshua had gotten used to talking to Neku's friends, and hoped that they had gotten used to him. Shiki still seemed defensive, but the topic had helped alleviate the tension. Their shared caring for Neku definitely helped alleviate the hostility.

He let out a breathy sigh, "He keeps his mind so locked up. He didn't tell me or even speak out loud about it so I really didn't know. _Damn."_ Josh looked down through his words. He felt the pain of not knowing his friend was in pain. It was a mixture of sadness and straight up guilt.

"Are you going to try to help him?" Shiki asked, also in a somber tone.

"I'm going to watch his actions, although I have seen quite a lot. _Not enough though, clearly._ Confronting him directly on the subject probably won't help his mental state." After a short pause he looked up at Shiki's face, and concluded with a smile, "That is what friends do, Isn't it?"

"I'm sure he'll appreciate the invisible help."


	4. Neku Held Her Hand Cont

_"Oh Shit. He's not here."_  
Joshua woke up in Neku's bed expecting to find a sleeping boy beside him. The memories rushed to him as the remnants of his sleep were wiped away.

"Right, Neku woke up and cried in my arms last night. He fell asleep first then I probably went to sleep shortly after. *Yaaaaaaawn*" Joshua stretched his arm up over his head as he yawned.

 _"But crap if he's not here then he must've realized I was here and got the Hell away from me, great."_ "Better go downstairs then." With a snap of his fingers, Joshua's hair brushed itself without the use of a brush, and his clothes ironed themselves without the use of an iron. He was presentable enough now, actually getting out of bed was the hard part though. He loved to sleep in when he could, since his occupation didn't really allow it. He'd think about it sometimes, if he actually needed sleep, the all powerful being that he is. Some experiments that involved staying up for several nights with coffee, proved that he indeed needed sleep, just not as much as normal humans. It was still an enjoyable activity though.

After a few minutes of moaning, Joshua made his way out from under the covers and down the stairs.

"How do you want your eggs?" Asked a dead voice.

"Huh?" Joshua made a small grunt in his throat, still trying to take in what just happened.

"Scrambled? Boiled? What do you want?" Neku asked while grabbing two eggs out of the container and missing Joshua's glance. His hair was still messy with out of control spikes. He was in a big t-shirt and his boxers, clearly he hadn't put much effort in looking presentable.

"Um, scrambled is fine," Joshua answered with his arm in his hair, walking down the last few steps. "Why are you making me breakfast?"

"Why did I wake up with you taking up most of my bed?" Neku spat back, still focusing on the eggs not in a pan on the burner.

"Yea about that, see the rain kind of flooded the sewer, aaaand it was rather cold. Your house is much nicer..."

"Wait, can't you control the weather above Shibuya?!"

"Well, I can but, that takes weeks, in advance, and sometimes even I can't stop the rain."

"Fine, Whatever." Neku stopped moving the pan and turned off the burner. "Come on breakfast is ready."

Joshua was fully awake now. _"He must not remember last night. But, I'm sure he knows it's me helping him when he's out. He's ignoring that fact."_ Joshua sat down at the table where a plate was waiting for him. Neku came over and began scooping the eggs onto the plate. Joshua was skeptical though, all this was weird. Neku was too quiet, too passive. Although, he was being rather quiet as well.

As Neku came closer, Joshua thought, _"Now's my chance."_ He focused on clearing his own mind so he could hear Neku's thoughts. His face showed his strain, Neku just must have not noticed. That was odd too Neku would always notice the subtle glint in his eyes when he was scanning. _"Damn, this is much harder without a player pin."_ But Neku would see the player pin and know something was up, or maybe not with the way he was acting now.

 _"Hm."_ It was still no use. Neku still had his mind locked up. Joshua absolutely hated those walls that Neku was able to make.

"Well? Are you going to eat?" Neku was now seated across from him, eating his share of eggs. _"He had better not be scanning me, not now."_

The two ate in an awkward silence that neither boy could break. Neku felt no need to break the silence, at least by himself. Joshua, however felt rather weird. He wasn't used to situations where he had no control over, or where it was just him and someone else who was on the 'friendship level'. It could almost be thought of as, a game. Joshua didn't lose games, ever. But, this probably wasn't the time to be comparing reality to one of his controlled games. First, something had to be done, he decided.

"Neku..."

"I don't want to talk about it." All this time Neku hadn't actually looked at Joshua even though Joshua just wanted to see what was wrong. A person can always be read by looking into their eyes, Neku must have known this.

His response was a short, "What?"

"Alright," Neku put down his fork and stood up. He turned around and took a few steps away from the table to get even farther from Joshua's gaze. "I know what you want to talk about, and I really don't want to talk about it. Let's just, sit here and have breakfast okay?"

"Neku... Your mind... It's unstable. That's a bad thing." Joshua looked up but only saw the back of Neku's head. "Also, I care about you, so please talk to me. It's true I know about your mother... Look, I'm not going to let you shut the world out again just because times are tough. That's rather cowardly of you actually." Joshua's voice was silvery and calm even through the insult.

"Listen Josh, I don't care about the world right now. Your right things are tough and I don't need you or anyone else making things worse. So eat your eggs and just go. Go play your games somewhere else, away from me."

"This is something you need to talk about. You know I'm here to listen, I'm always there when you need to shout to someone who won't reply, but now I will talk back, because you're one of my only friends and I won't lose you, okay?" Neku had no answer for the strange affectionate manner Joshua was speaking in. He just folded his arm up to his scrawny chest and grabbed his elbows.

"I want to make a deal with you actually. Well not a deal, rather, offer you a choice. Like I said, you're my friend, and that means you happen to be friends with someone who controls lives, especially, after they've died. You get special privileges Neku, and I'm willing to do one of two things."

At this Neku finally spun around and dropped his arms for Joshua to see this troubled face. Joshua made eye-contact with Neku, a perfect opening for a scan. But he decided that talking would be the better option here. Neku wouldn't lie to him.


	5. The Former Proxy Held Her Hand

The former proxy held her hand, and the composer watched from his domain.

Her once beautiful smile, still shined, perhaps even brighter. Neku could not return her simple happiness and bliss for he knew of the pain she would surely face, and it would be torture beyond anything she had felt before, or anything she would ever face. He never admired her as he should have. His loving, charismatic mother who always cared about him. The positive adjectives to describe her overflowed Neku's mind as he stared. He knew he could be a tough child sometimes but she always used the perfect blend of letting in the independent, and holding him close. Sunanda could've faced her as much as he possibly could to make up for all the time he never looked at her. Her eyes are closed, and her breathing cam out in slow, long, drawn-out yet not dramatic at all. Each seem to pain her.

Joshua could set a timer that's would tick for a exactly XX:XX if he wanted to, and normally he would. He wouldn't wait and give Megumi orders to give orders to a reaper whose job it is to move people from the RG to the UG. Not this time though. This time he would do the job himself. Megumi was gone anyway.

When Neku's mother exhausted her days worth of energy, Neku got up and slowly walked out the door. His back and head faced the bed, but yet he never took his eyes off his mother. His bangs loomed over his face covering his lonely expression. Joshua turned his body can watch Neku go past. The boy went out of sight once again to lose himself in the crowd.

Her condition stayed stable for a while, but one night she started heading down and would not come back up. The doctor assigned to her told Neku that her skin tissue was deteriorating and the cancer within her body was spreading. Soon it would surround her heart. At that point there would be no medication and no surgery that could work.

"It will crush her heart," he said sympathetically.

~~~

"It's still your choice you know," Joshua spoke levelly and as nicely as possible, for him. He had to be honest with himself and with Neku though. He was utilizing a massive loophole in his order. One which allowed him just barely, to control the souls of his choosing, to either, erase, or send to the UG (as he normally would), on sight. Neku was one of very few people Joshua actually cared about. One who also kept his memory of the 'afterlife', and possibly the only person he would ever consider giving this choice to.

This was a hard decision for a mortal, he knew that, but it was also a way for Joshua to show his trust and care for Neku. He would now know if Neku really meant those words, if Neku really trusted him back.

"I know, it's just..." He paused, looking for the proper words and tone of expression. He turned his head down avoiding Joshua's face. The two stood up against the wall surrounding the Hachiko statue. It had somehow become their meeting place, to Neku's dismay. The statue meant loyalty and now, trying to be loyal was tearing Neku apart. More than anything he wanted to see his mother's shining face again, just as it was before this whole ordeal started. He wanted to make a fresh start with the relationship he had with her, and this time, he wouldn't abandon her. But in order to have that chance of seeing her healthy again she would have to die, and... he just couldn't let her go through the pain of the Game. The pain he went through was just too much, even though she would only face a third of the trials he had faced.

He had no answer so he just quietly replied, "I don't know yet."

"It's fine take your time," Joshua said with closed eyes and a sigh. The two looked down away from each other while Josh put one foot up on the wall for comfort.

Sometimes it amazed Neku just how casual a god-like being could be. Sometimes he just had to stop and think, this god was his friend, who was once a human too.

 _"Wait..."_ Neku thought, _"Joshua was once, like this too. He probably..."_

"Hey...," Neku began hesitantly, holding onto his arm. "What, What would you do? You know if you were in my shoes?"

Joshua exhaled almost in a snort still keeping his composure with closed eyes but hint of a smirk. "Well now, that's a difficult question. Not difficult to answer mind you, just difficult to understand, just what you're asking." He turned towards Neku and seemed to tower over the boy.

"In your shoes as in I'm human? Or in your shoes, as I am now? And oh do I love my mother or not care?" Neku did quick inhale-exhale breath at Joshua's words. He tried to think that through but Joshua's words mixed up in his head just as they always did. They confused and annoyed him to no end. He was just too stressed right thenand began rubbing the back of his neck while trying to look away. Joshua had seen him stressed before, it never went well. Sure a little pressure was needed to motivate players and reapers along, but it had to be done masterfully and carefully.

"If I was in your shoes as a human... I'd be just as confused as you are."

"Oh really?" Neku tried to face Josh's seriousness with sarcasm as had always been done to him. But he couldn't get Joshua upset, not now when he was actually trying very hard to be nice.

"If my mother were still alive, and she died while I was Composer... I'd put her through the Game to be honest." He hadn't even jokingly said 'I'll never tell you my age.'

"You, you would really do that?"

Joshua leaned forward from the wall to catch Neku's glare and match it with a somewhat cold one. "I have to look at this professionally Neku. It's just my job."

"Right, of course." Neku looked back down. 


	6. The One With Renewed Life Held Her Hand

The one with renewed life held her hand, and the one with renewed death watched from his side, invisible to the world, but definitely there.

Her skin was yellow, and sunken. Neku watched her breathe in and out, more slowly than his lungs could ever manage. She was asleep so Neku had been told not to wake her. But he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that, if he left, he wouldn't come back to see her wake up.

"damnit, DAMNIT" Neku squeezed his eyes shut and made fists, yet he wouldn't cry it show any more emotion then a shadowed face which he already hid from the world.

Joshua saw Neku's pain and put a hand on his shoulder. It normally would have just passed through the boy, but Neku could feel it. The had smoothed down his back and up again in a calming pet. Joshua had to look at the dead everyday, it was just his job after all. What was one more? As nice as Joshua was being, and for him, at least, this was a nice change of attitude from his usual mocking ways, it was just an act, really. The whole 'Joshua' persona could be a facade, but Neku couldn't care then. It was just that he knew. Joshua wasn't there to console Neku. He was there to await the answer, which Neku didn't have yet.

Neku wanted to wait, all day and all night if he had to, for his mother to wake up so he could say, "Hi mom, I love you." But it was not to be that day. Maybe that was for the better. Neku would have a hard time deciding to let her go if he could speak with her again.

So the three waited for some miracle, in silence.

Except for the phone ringing non-stop with people asking Neku's father, "Hi how are you Mr. Sakuraba? How is your wife doing?" things were relatively quiet around the house. That's how Neku felt anyway while he was up in his room behind a locked door. In reality though the Sakuraba residence had guest after guest, coming to bring flowers, help clean, or assist with other chores Neku's mother had taken care of previously.

Shiki and her family took as many opportunities to help as possible. The random relatives could be tricky at times and Neku would hide, but it was nice to see Shiki. She made him feel comfortable and helped him take his mind off of the recent events with her opinions and reviews of the latest tends along with her work.

"I'm glad business is booming, guess I'll have to stop in sometime," he grinned.

"Oh yes, I'll fix you right up! You be a trendsetter, I'm sure of it!" Shiki tried as hard as possible to alleviate the mood with promises of the future. Neku had become accustomed to taking it one day at a time. He was done letting life come to him, instead he focused on his relationships with his friends and even making new ones. Somehow though he had just forgotten the most important one.

When things around the house were finished, Shiki's mom called her down to say, "Were leaving!"

The two were sitting on Neku's bed having casual conversation about various events that they partook in. Sometimes they would even talk about something that had happened back in the UG. They were both pleasantly surprised at how it had become an experience they could laugh and joke about. Neku didn't want Shiki to leave and their conversation to end. If she did it would just be him and his dad in the house alone and silent. He'd be back to his dread and guilt.

"Neku if you need absolutely anything, call me, alright!" Shiki smiled as she was halfway out the door, her glasses shifted downward in her face.

"You got it. See you later!" Neku waved back matching her smile. He continued to wave even after the door was closed and until he knew she was long gone.

Instead of going back to his room, Neku opted to collapse on the couch near the door. His father was still standing by the door.

Neku crooked his head up and to the side to try and see his father.

"Dad? Dad are you okay?" Neku asked. In return, he took a very deep breath, one that stretches the stomach and diaphragm, not just lifting the shoulders. He let it out slowly and turned around to meet Neku's eyes. its was extremely rare that they looked at each other like this, it meant seriousness, importance.

"Neku," The sharp face he had, made Neku sit up properly. "Hmm" Mr. Sakuraba let out another tired sigh. "Its just hard you know, so different here without your mother's constant care for this place. Don't get me wrong, all the help we've had is great, it just isn't, won't be the same." Neku looked down pondering his father's words and trying to find his own. He still had no answer for what to do next. His mom's days, no hours, were limited.

"Im thinking of bringing her back here. She'll be happy to get out of the hospital and back into her own home. We'll have a nurse here, of course. But at least she'll be home." He sighed after trying to raise his voice pitch to sound optimistic.

Maybe his dad would know the answer.

"Dad, you... You don't have to sugar coat this." Neku started somberly, with his head back down. "I-I know Mom is, gonna," He could barely choke out the words, "I know she's gonna die soon."

"Neku, well manage, somehow, well live on, that's what she wants. You and I have to be strong for her, and for this house hold."

"How, how can I be strong when I'm losing someone so important to me. You can't expect me to act like nothing's wrong!"

"Were in the same boat here Neku!" He covered his face in his hands and sighed, "The love of my life..." He didn't finish that statement.

Now was the time to ask.

"Dad, do you wish, that Mom was okay?"

"Neku what an absurd thing to say, of course I do. I want that more than anything."

"But when she's, you know gone, will you wish that you could bring her back?"

"Neku... What happens, happens and there isn't much we can do about it. I love your mother, and I love you. So I wish she could be with us always. But, if we think of her that way, well never be able to let go. She wants you to live your own life, even if she's not in it. You know that I wish her peace and happiness, and I want that for you too. I'm sorry this is probably making things worse... Im no good with words," He sighed.

"Actually Dad, that helps, a lot. I do understand what you mean." Neku stood up and faced his father. "Thanks, youre right, I wish she was here too, but the future is important too. I won't just let her go though, she's my mother after all."

Neku finished with a grateful grin and ran up to his room. He was anxious to make a phone call.

Neku flopped down on his bed and grabbed his pillow. He waited a split second then smacked the cool pillow onto his face. Without looking he flipped open his purple phone and dialed the second speed dial. Talking to Joshua in person was fine, Neku could just play off any insults or clever quips that came his way. But, for some reason using the phone to talk to him made Neku feel, anxious. Like he didn't know who to expect on the other end. Would the childish insult-machine answer, or the serious persona of the Composer answer.

The phone rang, once, twice, the pillow was not helping anymore, three times, and voicemail.

"Hello, if you have this number then you are close to Yoshiya Kiryu. If you have _business_ to discuss please make a formal appointment through my Conductor, thank you."

The way he said business...

"Damn"


End file.
